by Scott Allen, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Allen, USA TODAY Sports

With national signing day approaching on Feb. 5, we'll take a closer look at the recruiting landscape in each of the five major conferences this week. Today: SEC. Coming Monday: Notre Dame. Previously: The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12.

One year after landing three five-star recruits, including consensus No. 1 prospect Robert Nkemdiche, Mississippi's recruiting class ranks ninth in the SEC, according to Rivals.com. But don't feel too bad for Rebels coach Hugh Freeze; the ninth-ranked class in the SEC is the 15th-ranked class in the country. Yep, the SEC will dominate signing day once again.

Alabama's top-ranked class is headlined by Woodbridge (Va.) defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, Rivals.com's No. 1 prospect. The Crimson Tide has more five star commits (5) than the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 schools combined (3). The latest is Hoover (Ala.) cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who picked Alabama over Florida State earlier this week. Humphrey, who also plans to run track in Tuscaloosa, is the son of former Alabama great Bobby Humphrey.

Texas A&M's class, ranked No. 3 overall by Rivals and 247Sports, features three five-star recruits. Tennessee head coach Butch Jones has managed to keep the Volunteer State's best prospects home while racking up more than 30 commitments overall. LSU welcomes Leonard Fournette, the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Offensive Player of the Year. Florida's top commit, Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.) cornerback Jalen Tabor, committed to Arizona at the Under Armour All-America Game before flipping and enrolling at Florida one week later.

Not surprising: Auburn and Georgia boast strong classes. Surprising: Mark Stoops has a chance to bring a top-10 class to Kentucky â?? yes, we're talking football â?? after top lineman Matt Elam picked the Wildcats over Alabama on Thursday. Only two schools in the SEC rank outside the top 35 classes, according to Rivals. Mississippi State is a respectable 47th and Vanderbilt would rank a lot higher than 94th if James Franklin hadn't turned so many Commodores commits into Penn State commits.

Four For '14

A look at the SEC's top commits.

Leonard Fournette, RB, St. Augustine (New Orleans) â?? LSU The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Fournette is the prize of LSU's class. He rushed for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 9.2 yards per carry, and is the consensus No. 1 running back in this year's class.

Da'Shawn Hand, DE, Woodbridge (Va.) â?? Alabama Hand, who had 16 sacks as a senior, picked Alabama over Florida and Michigan. He made his decision en route to a meal at Wendy's.

Myles Garrett, DE, Martin (Arlington, Texas) â?? Texas A&MGarrett is the No. 1 recruit in 247Sports' composite rankings. He had what would qualify as a season's worth of stats for most defensive ends in an October game against Weatherford: 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recover and a blocked punt.

Kyle Allen, QB, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.) â?? Texas A&MJohnny Manziel is NFL-bound, but the Aggies may have his replacement in Allen. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Allen, who is already signed, was a U.S. Army All-American and is the consensus No. 1 pro-style QB in this year's class. Is Kevin Sumlin excited? YESSIR!

Position on the Rise: Running Back

Pick any position in this year's class and there's a good chance the top 10 is dotted with SEC commits. The conference's incoming running backs, including Fournette, are especially impressive. Five of Rivals.com's top six running backs are headed to SEC schools. Racean Thomas, a 5-11, 198-pound back out of Oxford (Ala.), headlines Auburn's class. Georgia's top recruit is former American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) running back Sony Michel. Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.) running back Jalen Hurd, a five-star recruit who missed his senior season with an injury, has a chance to contribute right away at Tennessee.

Carter is the No. 3 weakside defensive end, according to Rivals, and is considering Florida, Florida State, Georgia and LSU. With signing day approaching, things are getting awkward. Last week, coaches from Florida and Florida State sat on opposite sides of Carter's parents at a Norcross basketball game.

2013's Top Recruit

Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida

Nkemdiche was the top-ranked recruit, but Hargreaves had a more impressive season. The former Wharton (Tampa, Fla.) star made an immediate impact for the Gators, with three interceptions and 14 passes defended. Hargreaves had 38 tackles and was named a third-team All-America by the Associated Press.